Structural Inorganic Chemistry
Oxford Classic Texts in the Physical Sciences Series

The fifth edition of this widely acclaimed work has been reissued as part of the Oxford Classic Texts series. The book includes a clear exposition of general topics concerning the structures of solids, and a systematic description of the structural chemistry of elements and their compounds. The book is divided into two parts. Part I deals with a number of general topics, including the properties of polyhedra, the nature and symmetry of repeating patterns, and the ways in which spheres, of the same or different sizes, can be packed together. In Part II the structural chemistry of the elements is described systematically, arranged according to the groups of the Periodic Table.

Part 1. 1. Introduction. 2. Symmetry. 3. Polyhedra and nets. 4. Sphere packings. 5. Tetrahedral and octahedral structures. 6. Some simple AXn structures. 7. Bonds in molecules and crystals. Part 2. 8. Hydrogen: the noble gases. 9. The halogens - simple halides. 10. Complex, oxy-, and hydroxy-halides. 11. Oxygen. 12. Binary metal oxides. 13. Complex oxides. 14. Metal hydroxides, oxyhydroxides, and hydroxy-salts. 15. Water and hydrates. 16. Sulphur, selenium, and tellurium. 17. Metal sulphides and oxysulphides. 18. Nitrogen. 19. Phosphorus. 20. Arsenic, antimony, and bismuth. 21. Carbon. 22. Metal cyanides, carbides, carbonyls, and alkyls. 23. Silicon. 24. Boron. 25. Copper, silver, and gold. 26. The elements of subgroups IIB, IIIB, and IVB. 27. Group VIII and other transition metals. 28. The lanthanides and actinides. 29. Metals and alloys. Formula index. Subject index.

Alexander Frank Wells was formerly Professor of Chemistry at the University of Connecticut, USA.